Homemade Kimchi

Easy Kimchi
(serves 15 people at once, or can be kept by 1 person for 2 weeks; adapted from Maangchi)
Ingredients:

• 10 lbs napa cabbage, cut into bite size pieces
  
• korean rock salt, 1 cup (for 10 lbs of cabbage; recipe can be halved if needed)
  
• ½ cup sweet rice flour (Mochiko)
  
• ¼ cup sugar
  
• 2 cups kochugaru pepper flakes (can be obtained at Korean stores. If you like less spicy kimchi, add just 1.5 cups instead of 2)
  
• 1 cup crushed garlic
  
• 1-2 tbs minced ginger
  
• 1 cup minced onion
  

• 2 cups julienned korean radish
  
• 1/4 cup julienned carrot
  
• 2 cups chopped leek
  
• 10 diagonally sliced green onion
  
• fish sauce (TOTALLY OPTIONAL)
  

Steps:

1. Trim the discolored outer leaves of10 pounds of napa cabbage.
   
2. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Chop it up into bite size pieces.
   
3. Soak the pieces of cabbage in cold water and put the soaked cabbage into a large basin. Sprinkle with ALL of the salt (1 cup for 10 lbs; can be adjusted according to amount of cabbage)
   
4. Every 30 minutes, turn the cabbage over by hand to salt evenly (total salting time will be 1½ hours). While cabbage is soaking in salt water, make the kimchi paste.
   
5. After 1½ hours of soaking in salt water, rinse the cabbage in cold water 3 times to clean it thoroughly.
   

Make kimchi paste:

1. Put 3 cups of water and ½ cup sweet rice flour (Mochiko brand) in a pot and mix it well and bring to a boil. Keep stirring until the porridge makes bubbles (about 5 minutes).
   

1. Add ¼ cup sugar. Stir and cook for a few more mintues until the mixture is translucent.
   
2. Cool it down in a bowl of ice, or in the fridge.
   

1. Once cooled, place the cold porridge into a large bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
   
2. Using a food processor or blender, add 2 cups of hot pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want the kimchi), 1 cup of whole-clove garlic, 1-2 tbs of minced ginger, 1 cup amount of minced onion, and 1 cup fish sauce (totally optional).
   

1. Add 10 diagonally-sliced green onions, the 2 cups of chopped leek, 2 cups of julienned Korean radish, and ¼ cup of julienned carrot.
   
2. Mix all ingredients well and your kimchi paste is done.
   
3. Put the kimchi paste in a large basin and add all the cabbage. Mix it by hand.
   *tip: If your basin is not large enough to mix all the ingredients at once, do it bit by bit.
   
4. Put the kimchi into an air-tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.
   
5. You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented.
   

Why to try it:
Kimchi (or kimchee) is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its "healthy bacteria" called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. This good bacteria helps with digestion, plus it seems to help stop and even prevent yeast infections, according to a recent study. And more good news: Some studies show fermented cabbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of cancer (health.com).

How do you know it’s fermented or not?
One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means it’s already being fermented.